Relationship between religion and school students' road behavior in southern Iran / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>PURPOSE</b>Unsafe behaviors are an important cause of accidents in adolescent age groups. This study was designed to examine the behaviors of adolescent pedestrians in southern Iran.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This is a descriptive analytical cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of high school students in Shiraz, capital city of Fars Province, Iran. Five hundred and sixteen students were selected by multi-stage sampling. Data were collected by the use of three questionnaires, which included Persian copies of adolescent road user behavior questionnaire (ARBQ), Duke University Religious Index (DUREL), as well as the context and independent variables questionnaire.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The results showed that a decrease in dangerous behaviors on the road resulted in an increase in respondents' intrinsic religiosity. Also, engagement in unsafe crossing behavior in the road decreased with increasing respondents' intrinsic religiosity. Another finding showed that female students were less involved in dangerous play and planned protective behaviors on the road.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Findings clearly indicate that intrinsic religiosity has a significant role in reducing the risky road behaviors of students. Hence, religion may improve road safety in school students' road behavior in Iran.</p>

Burden of traffic accidents among pedestrians of Fars province, southern Iran; estimate of years of life lost in a sample of Iranian population from 2009 to 2013 / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>PURPOSE</b>Traffic injuries are among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Pedestrians have been considered as a high-risk group among road users, especially in middle- or low-income communities. This study attempted to determine the burden of pedestrians' fatalities in Fars, the southern province of Iran using years of life lost (YLL) approach.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The data used in this study were retrieved from Fars Forensic Medicine Organization database on pedestrian traffic accidents. The YLL from 2009 to 2013 was estimated using the method presented by World Health organization. Some epidemiological characteristics of pedestrians' fatalities were analyzed by SPSS.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Although YLL among 1000 male pedestrians decreased from 2.5 in 2009 to 1.5 in 2013, it increased from 0.9 to 2.1 among 1000 females during the same period. Higher proportion of death was found in female, illiterate, and married pedestrians (p < 0.001). In addition, mortality was higher in pedestrians living the cities, during daytime, at home, and in hospitals (p < 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Consistent with the global trends, burden of pedestrian accidents in Fars was also exceptionally high. Considering the national and cultural aspects of different countries, improving the safety of pedestrians demands a multi-dimensional approach with interventional factors concerning policies, rules, pedestrians, motor vehicles and environmental conditions taken into consideration.</p>

Prevalence and risk factors of alcohol and substance abuse among motorcycle drivers in Fars province, Iran / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>PURPOSE</b>The aim of this present study is to investigate the prevalence of alcohol and substance abuse (ASA) and its relationship with other risky driving behaviors among motorcycle drivers.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This is a cross sectional study which is performed at Shiraz city of Iran. Data from motorcycle drivers were collected using a standard questionnaire in eight major streets at different times of the day. The data includes consumption of alcohol and other substances two hours before driving and some of the risky behaviors during driving.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 414 drivers with a mean ± SD age of (27.0 ± 9.3) years participated in the study. Alcohol or substance consumptions two hours before driving was significantly associated with risky driving behaviors such as using mobile phone during driving, poor maneuvering, and driving over the speed limit (both p < 0.001). It was also associated with carelessness about safety such as driving with technical defects (p < 0.001) and not wearing a crash helmet (p=0.008).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Screening for alcohol and substance consumption among motorcycle drivers is an efficient way to identify drivers that are at a greater risk for road traffic accidents.</p>

causal factors associated with the loving care of the mothers of children with multiple disabilities

Families with disabled children need more psycho-social considerations. Motherhood care of the children with multiple disabilities is difficult. Due to its importance, the aim of this study was to investigate the causal factors affecting loving care of mothers of children with multiple disabilities. The study used a cross-sectional method in which 75 mothers of exceptional children with multiple disabilities [physical and mental] in elementary schools in Shiraz, Iran. The data were collected through questionnaires which, besides demographical factors, evaluated the relationship between mothers' loving care of children with multiple disabilities and four other variables including purpose in life, life satisfaction, religious attitude, and sense of coherence. Mann-Whitney U was used for comparison between mothers' loving care and other variables. Results revealed that demographic variables did not have a significant relationship with loving care. In the case of social variables, there was a significant relationship between mothers' loving care and purpose in life [P<0.001], religious attitude [P<0.001], and life satisfaction [P=0.01]. Motherhood care of disabled children is a unique phenomenon which is due to attachment of mother-child situation. Nevertheless, these mothers are vulnerable and marginalized people who need more attention and social supports provided by related governmental institutions and also NGOs actors

Burden of transportation injuries among children and adolescents of Fars province: analysis of Iran's 20-year trends / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES: Transportation injuries are among the top ten causes of burden of disease in all age groups worldwide. The burden of transportation injuries among children and adolescents in Iran is higher than the world average and that of other developing countries. The aims of this study were to investigate the burden of transportation injuries in children and adolescents in the province of Fars in Iran from 2009 to 2013, and to report the burden of these kinds of injuries in children and adolescents in Iran from 1990 to 2010. METHODS: The number of deaths due to transportation injuries and the location of fatal injuries in the province of Fars in Iran from 2009 to 2013 were analyzed using data from the Fars Forensic Medicine Organization. The 20-year trend in the burden of transportation injuries in Iran was analyzed using data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. RESULTS: Similarly to the long-term trend in Iran, the burden of transportation injuries among the male population of Fars province was generally higher than in females. Most fatal accident injuries occurred on roads (males: n=4151, 61.51%; females: n=1182, 65.95%) and in urban areas (males: n=1994, 29.54%; females: n=473, 26.40%). CONCLUSIONS: Considering that children and adolescents are high risk groups for transportation injuries, adopting an effective comprehensive multi-sectoral approach, including enacting and enforcing appropriate laws and regulations, developing general knowledge, and facilitating the availability of Personal protective equipment, could be helpful for reducing the burden of these injuries.

The efficacy of a first aid training course for drivers: an experience from northern Iran / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy of a first aid training course for a group of drivers.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study comprised 500 drivers, randomly selected from the road transport companies. They underwent a course of first aid training and the results were evaluated at 0-3 and 4-6 months after training.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both quantitative and qualitative improvements were observed in the drivers'efficacy in giving first aid. Also the rate of correct interventions was higher at 4-6 months than at 0-3 months. The exception was airway management which was not favorably improved after training.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The first aid training course for drivers is beneficial and helpful for prehospital care system in road traffic accidents.</p>

Educational level and age as contributing factors to road traffic accidents / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>This research analyzes data on road traffic accidents (RTA) in Fars province, whose roads are among the highly dangerous ones in Iran. It investigates educational level and age involved in RTA in order to discover patterns that can prevent or decrease accidents.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This research made use of data visualization techniques to find hidden patterns. The data included mortality rate related to RTA in Fars province and were obtained from Fars Forensic Medicine Registry covering a period of 1 year from March 21, 2010 to March 21, 2011. All data were analyzed using SPSS 11.5. The results were reported as descriptive indices such as frequency (percentage). The Chi-square test was applied to the data concerning educational level and age. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the mentioned period, 1 831 people were killed, out of whom un/lowly educated people (69.6%) accounted for the highest mortality rate. The significant relationship between educational level and mortality rate was found (X2 equal to 275.98, P less than 0.0001).Also three was a significant association between age and mortality rate (X2 equal to 371.20, P less than 0.0001). Young people (age between 20 and 29 years) contribute to higher RTA mortality rate compared with other age groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The educational level and age are significantly correlated to mortality rate. The youth and un/lowly educated people suffer more fatal RTA.</p>

Time analysis of fatal traffic accidents in Fars Province of Iran / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the time factor in road traffic accidents (RTAs) in Fars Province of Iran.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study was conducted in Fars Province, Iran from November 22, 2009 to November 21, 2011. Victims'information consisted of age, sex, death toll involving dri- vers or passengers of cars, motorcycles and pedestrians, and site of injury etc. Accidents were analyzed in relation to hour of the day, season of the year, lighting condition including sunrise, sunset, daytime and nighttime.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 3 642 deaths (78.3% were males, and the ratio of males to females was about 3.6:1) were studied regarding their autopsy records. There was a steady increase in fatal accidents occurring at midnight to 15:59. The risk of being involved in a fatal traffic accident was higher for those injured between 4:00 to 7:59 than at other times (OR equal to 2.13, 95% CI 1.85-2.44). The greatest number of fatal RTAs took place in summer. Mortalities due to RTA during spring and summer were more pronounced at 20:00 to 23:59 and midnight to 3:59, whereas mortalities in fall and winter were more pronounced from 12:00 to 15:59.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The high mortality rate of RTA is a major public health problem in Fars Province. Our results indicate that the time is an important factor which contributes to road traffic deaths.</p>

An epidemiologic survey of road traffic accidents in Iran: analysis of driver-related factors / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Road traffic accident (RTA) and its related injuries contribute to a significant portion of the burden of diseases in Iran. This paper explores the association between driver-related factors and RTA in the country.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This cross-sectional study was conducted in Iran and all data regarding RTAs from March 20, 2010 to June 10, 2010 were obtained from the Traffic Police Department. We included 538 588 RTA records, which were classified to control for the main confounders: accident type, final cause of accident, time of accident and driver-related factors. Driver-related factors included sex, educational level, license type, type of injury, duration between accident and getting the driving license and driver's error type.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 538 588 drivers (91.83% male, sex ratio of almost 13:1) were involved in the RTAs. Among them 423 932 (78.71%) were uninjured; 224 818 (41.74%) had a diploma degree. Grade 2 driving license represented the highest proportion of all driving licenses (290 811, 54.00%). The greatest number of accidents took place at 12:00-13:59 (75 024, 13.93%). The proportion of drivers involved in RTAs decreased from 15.90% in the first year of getting a driving license to 3.13% after 10 years'of driving experience. Neglect of regulations was the commonest cause of traffic crashes (345 589, 64.17%). Non-observance of priority and inattention to the front were the most frequent final causes of death (138 175, 25.66% and 129 352, 24.02%, respectively). We found significant association between type of accident and sex, education, license type, time of accident, final cause of accident, driver's error as well as duration between accident and getting the driving license (all P less than 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our results will improve the traffic law enforcement measures, which will change inappropriate behavior of drivers and protect the least experienced road users.</p>

Hospital mortality associated with stroke in southern Iran

Background: Unlike the western hemisphere, information about stroke epidemiology in southern Iran is scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the main epidemiological characteristics of patients with stroke and its mortality rate in southern Iran

Methods: A retrospective, single-center, hospital-based longitudinal study was performed at Nemazee Hospital in Shiraz, Southern Iran. Patients with a diagnosis of hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes were identified based on the International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th editions, for the period between 2001 and 2010. Demographics including age, sex, area of residence, socioeconomic status, length of hospital stay, and discharge destinations were analyzed in association with mortality

Results: 16351 patients with a mean age of 63.4 years [95% CI: 63.1, 63.6] were included in this analysis. Men were slightly predominant [53.6% vs. 46.4%]. Forty-seven percent of the total sample was older than 65,17% were younger than 45, and 2.6% were children younger than 18. The mean hospital stay was 6.3 days [95% CI: 6.2, 6.4]. Among all types of strokes, the overall hospital mortality was 20.5%. Multiple logistic regression revealed significantly higher in-hospital mortality in women and children [P<0.001] but not in patients with low socioeconomic status or from rural areas. During the study period, the mortality proportions increased from 17.8% to 22.2%

Conclusion: In comparison to western countries, a larger proportion of our patients were young adults and the mortality rate was higher

Fatal motorcycle accidents in Fars Province, Iran: a community-based survey / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify the main characteristics of victims of motorcycle accidents in Fars Province, Iran.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This cross-sectional study was conducted in Fars Province which has the fourth largest population of all 31 provinces in Iran from March 2009 to June 2010. We included data from all 542 recorded cases of fatalities due to motor vehicle accidents. Data were recorded from the forensic medicine registry consisting of demographic and accident-related information. Demographic information consisted of name, age, sex, status of fatal victim (motorcycle driver vs passenger) and educational level.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 2 345 autopsy records from the forensic medicine archives, 542 (23.1%) gave the cause of death as motor vehicle accidents. Mean age of these victims was (31.4+/-6.5) years, and the male to female ratio was 28. Head injury was the most common cause of death in these victims, and overall they tended to have a low level of education. Motorcycle accidents frequently involved younger age groups (15-35 years), and head trauma related with non-use of a helmet was the most common cause of death.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Head injury is frequent among victims in the province we studied. This situation may be related to the victims' low socioeconomic status and little education regarding traffic laws leading to speeding and disregard of these laws along with their weak enforcement.</p>

Epidemiological characteristics of fatal pedestrian accidents in Fars Province of Iran: a community-based survey / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the epidemiological characteristics of fatal pedestrian accidents in Fars Province of Iran.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This cross-sectional study was conducted in Fars Province of Iran during a 29-month period from March 2009 to July 2011. The data were from the Fars Forensic Medicine Registry. In 4 923 recorded road traffic accident fatalities, 971 deaths were due to pedestrian accidents. The demographic and accident-related information were analyzed by SPSS version 11.5. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean age of decedents was (47.2+/-26.2) years, ranging from 6 months to 103 years old. Males accounted for 69.8% of all deaths. Fatal accidents were most common in September; 56.1% of the fatal injuries occurred on intracity roads and 33.1% on extracity roads. Fatal head injuries were present in 60.54% of cases. Evaluation of the injury site and the cause of death found that they were significantly associated with age, interval between injury and death. Besides, the type of roads played an important role in mortality.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Although the clinical management of trauma patients has been improved in our country in the recent decade, decreasing the burden of injuries needs coordination among trauma system organizations.</p>

prevalence of high blood pressure and its relationship with anthropometric indicators; a population based study in pars province, IR Iran

The burden of non-communicable diseases is rising globally. The present study was carried out to examine the relationship between different anthropometric indices and blood pressure in the Iranian population. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 3916 subjects including 1976 males and 1940 females, aged 15-64 years from a healthy population in Shiraz, IR Iran. Anthropometric variables of each person including weight, height, waist circumference [WC], waist to height ratio [WHR] and body mass index [BMI] were calculated along with measuring systolic and diastolic blood pressures [BP]. The relationship between blood pressure and different anthropometric variables was determined in both genders. The mean +/- SD systolic blood pressures were 123.9 +/- 20.0 and 121.2 +/- 17.7 mmHg while the mean diastolic blood pressures were 78.3 +/- 11.9 and 77.4 +/- 12.9 mmHg in men and women respectively [P<0.001]. The prevalence of hypertension in men [23.8%] was significantly more than that of women [21.1%]. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures increased with age and BMI in both genders. Anthropometric indices showed a positive association with systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The BMI and WC showed a strong association with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The suggested lower cut-off values of the anthropometric indicators will cover maximum of the population with higher odds of having hypertension and may help reduce the levels of populations mean blood pressure

prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors, and metabolic syndrome among iranian military parachutists

The incidence of cardiovascular disease [CVD] is rapidly increasing worldwide. Occupation-related stress such as military parachuting has been considered to be a potentially important cardiovascular risk factor. The present study was performed to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome among military parachutists which provides a guideline to prevent catastrophic cardiovascular events. This is a cross-sectional study among 96 military parachutists in southern IR Iran; who were evaluated in the military clinic in Shiraz, Southern IR Iran. Information regarding demographic and life style were obtained from each subject. Arterial blood pressure, weight, height, body mass index [BMI], waist circumference [WC] and hip circumference [HC], fasting blood glucose, lipid profile consisting of total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglyceride were measured by standard methods. The mean age of participants was 37.4 +/- 6.4 years. There were 5 [5.2%] cases under treatment for cardiovascular diseases, 4 [4.2%] participants were pre-diabetics and 5 [5.2%] suffered from diabetes mellitus. Hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia were seen in 23 [24%] and 46 [47%] military parachutists respectively. Although war-related stressors and high intensity physical activities are associated with both acute cardiac events and cardiac risk factors, our data is in favor of lower frequency of cardiovascular risk factors among military parachutists. However, routine monitoring of military parachutists is necessary to find the cardiovascular risk factors

Diagnostic value of bioelectrical impedance analysis versus body mass index for detection of obesity among students

Obesity is a common nutritional problem in both developed and developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweightness and obesity using both bioelectrical impedance analysis [B1A] and body mass index [BMI]. In this cross-sectional study, 288 healthy college students were selected. Socio-economic status questionnaires were completed and subjects' anthropometric features were measured by a trained nurse. BMI was calculated and body fat mass [BFM] and body fat percent [BF%] were obtained using BIA method by hand-to-hand Omron BF-500 set. Mean age of the subjects was 21.1 +/- 1.7 years. Based on BMI, 2.6% of males and 2.2% of females were obese while 15.7% and 9.6% were diagnosed to be overweight respectively. The correlation between BMI values and BFM were 0.883 and 0.908 in males and females respectively [P<0.001]. Furthermore, BF% had a significant correlation with BMI in both males and females [P<0.001]. Our survey demonstrated a lower prevalence of obesity and overweightness in college students compared with Iranian general population, especially in females. Additionally, BIA method was shown to be closely correlated with and as much valuable as BMI in regard to detection of obesity

Pepsinogen I and II, gastrin and Cag A serum levels in Shiraz

Despite the similar rate of HP infection, the rate of gastric cancer [GC] differs in different regions of the country. There are conflicting reports for using a panel of serologic tests such as pepsinogens I, II [PG I and PG II], and gastrin for population screening. We designed this study to assess healthy appearing adults in Shiraz, southern Iran in order to evaluate the correlation of these serological tests with demographics and lifestyle in a region with a low rate of gastric malignancy. In a population-based study, 846 out of 1978 subjects who were selected by cluster random sampling based on postal code division in Shiraz agreed to participate in the present study. A questionnaire that included age, gender, weight and height, lifestyle such as physical activity, smoking and the use of nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs] was completed. A blood sample was taken after overnight fasting for measurements of PG I, PG II and Cag A status by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay [ELISA]. Gastrin level was measured by radioimmunoassay [RIA]. The study included 305 men and 541 women. Their mean age was 50.53 +/- 11.4 [range: 35-99 years]. The level of PG I was significantly more in males than females [116.6 +/- 57.1 vs. 103.1 +/- 55.8, p <0.001], lower in older age groups [p = 0.01], and rural compared with urban residents [110.3 + 55.7 vs 100.2 + 58.1, p = 0.02]. The serum level of PG II was less in obese subjects [p = 0.5]. There was no significant correlation between PG I, PG II, smoking, NSAID use and activity. Gastrin level were not correlated with any of the demographic characteristics. The level of Cag A was significantly different between males and females [30.5 +/- 37 vs. 37.7 +/- 41.7, p< 0.001], more in older subjects [p = 0.007] and non smokers [p = 0.001]. The serum levels of PG I and PG I/PG II ratio decreased significantly in subjects with positive Cag A serology [p < 0.05]. The ratio of PG I/ PG II was lower than 3 in 35 [4.1%] subjects. In this area, the PG I/ PG II ratio is less than 3 in 4% of subjects of which most are positive for Cag A serology and older than 50. We recommend comparison of these findings with high GC mortality regions

Frequency of sensory neural hearing loss in major beta-thalassemias in southern Iran

The thalassemias are among the most common genetic disorders worldwide, occurring more frequently in the Mediterranean region. The aim of this study was to determined frequency of sensory-neural hearing loss in major beta- thalassemias transfusion dependent patients in south of Iran. A cross sectional study on 308 cases of major beta-thalassemia patients referring to Thalassemia Center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences between 2006-2007 years. The diagnosis of beta- thalassemia major was based on clinical history, complete blood count and hemoglobine electrophoresis. Clinical data such as serum ferritin level, deferoxamine [DFO] dose, mean daily doses of DFO [mg/kg] and audiometric variables was recorded. Out of 308 cases, 283 [96.5%] had normal hearing and 10 [3.5%] sensorineural hearing loss. There was no statically significant difference between two groups regarding mean age, weight, age at the first blood transfusion, age at the first DFO infusion. We found the lowest incidence of sensorineural hearing loss in a large population of patients suffered from major thalassemia who received DFO. We show that DFO is not ototoxic at a low dose. When considering all related literature, as a whole there has been much critical misrepresentation about DFO ototoxicity

Prevalence of post-tonsillectomy bleeding as day-case surgery with combination method; cold dissection tonsillectomy and bipolar diathermy hemostasis

Post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage remains an important factor in determining the safety of performing tonsillectomy as a day case procedure. The aim of this study was to determine the safety of day case tonsillectomy by using combination method, cold dissection tonsillectomy and bipolar diathermy hemostasis. A prospective randomized clinical study conducted on the patients who had undergone day case tonsillectomy [DCT]. There were two groups [DCT and control group] each group consisting of 150 cases. Tonsillectomy was performed by using combination method; cold dissection and hemostasis was achieved by ligation of vessels with bipolar electerocautery. We found 3 cases of post-tonsillectomy bleeding in DCT group and 4 cases in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of post-operative hemorrhage between the two groups. The findings suggest the safety of the combination of cold dissection tonsillectomy and bipolar diathermy hemostasis as day case tonsillectomy

Infants' growth charts in Jahrom, Iran

This study was performed to provide the curves of weight and height of 0-2 year-old children in Jahrom, Southeastern Iran. In a prospective study, 597 children born in Jahrom entered our study from April 2001 to December 2002. The height and weight of these children were recorded 18 times from one month to two years of age. Healy-Rasbash-Yang [HRY] method was used to estimate age related smoothed centiles. This method was implemented for the World Health Organisation as GROSTAT computer package. The mean weight of male newborns, except for one-month olds, was more than that of females. Before two months of age and among 2-year-olds, there was no significant difference between the weight of males and females. The mean height of male newborns, except for one month of age, was more than that of females. No more than cubic polynomials were needed to smoothly fit height for age and weight for age of children. The height of male and female children showed an increase by age up to two years. The weight of male and female children also increased by age but the speed of increase to six months was more than that of six months to two years of age. Our findings show that height and weight of children under two years of age in Jahrom were lower than those of National Center for Health Statistics [NCHS]. It is therefore deemed necessary to provide and establish a corresponding standard curve for this region. According to the NCHS measurements, some children may be considered thinner or shorter for no obvious reason